Big Sky Resort Offers Historic Explorer 2 Chairs For Sale To Benefit Local Nonprofits

After 51 years of service, Big Sky Resort is decommissioning the iconic Explorer 2 chairlift, the resort’s sole remaining chairlift from its 1973 opening, and offering 125 chairs for sale to the public. All proceeds from the chair sale will benefit three local nonprofit organizations. 
 
The Explorer 2 chairlift, one of the four original lifts installed when the resort opened in 1973, will be retired on March 30, 2025, to make way for the new 10-person Explorer Gondola scheduled to open in December 2025. The sale presents a unique opportunity to own a piece of Big Sky ski history while supporting vital community organizations. 

The Explorer 2 chairlift debuted in 1973 as one of the four original lifts at Big Sky Resort. Built by Heron-Poma, it was designed as a double chairlift specifically to serve the resort's beginner terrain.

For 51 years, Explorer’s 150 chairs carried skiers and snowboarders up 622 feet of vertical. Until March 2025, the Explorer chair remained in service as a living piece of the resort's history.

Today, these historic chairs are being retired and made available to the public, allowing the Big Sky community to own a piece of Montana skiing history. If these chairs could talk, they would share five decades' worth of stories, storms, and Big Sky skiing memories.

Sale Details

• 125 chairs available at $1,200 each
• Store opens March 20th at 10AM MST
• Store closes March 29th at 5PM MST
• Chair pickup MUST take place during one of the pickup windows:
• March 31 from 4-7 PM
• April 1 from 4-7 PM
• Additional pickup instructions to be provided in purchaser confirmation emails.

Chair Details

• Weight: Approximately 100 lbs
• Dimensions: 13'1" high, 7'6" wide, and 2'6" deep
• Chair pads are included, however grips are removed and not part of the purchase.
• Chairs are genuine used chairs and have their own sets of blemishes, imperfections, and unique character, and are being sold as is with no warranty, expressed or implied, associated.
• Chairs will be stacked in random order and staged for purchaser pickup. There is no choice in chair number, condition, or preference.

 
All proceeds from the chair sale will be evenly distributed among three nonprofit organizations: Big Sky Community Housing Trust, Gallatin River Task Force, and Wellness in Action. 

"The Explorer 2 chairlift has been a fixture at Big Sky Resort for over five decades, carrying many generations of guests," said Troy Nedved, the resort’s president and COO. "We're excited to give these chairs a new life while giving back to three critical organizations in our community." 
 
Chair sales begin online at 10 a.m. MST on March 20, 2025, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The chairs are sold as-is and include the seat pads and will not include the grips. 
 
Purchasers must pick up their chairs between March 31 and April 2, 2025 at designated Big Sky Resort locations.  
 
For more information about the chair sale or to make a purchase beginning March 20, please visit www.bigskyresort.com/explorer-2-chair-fundraiser.